The present invention relates to wireless computer mice using a battery, and in particular to a wireless mouse with a roller.
Wireless computer mice have been developed to eliminate the need for a cord, and to make it easier for a user to move the mouse around without having to drag a cord. Examples of such wireless mice can be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,754,268; 5,541,621; 5,854,621; and 5,563,630. A typical configuration for the battery in such a mouse is shown in Patent No. Des. 356,558. As shown, the battery is mounted in a compartment on the bottom of the mouse.
Recently, many mice have had a roller added to them for a scrolling function. The roller protrudes through the top of the mouse where it can be activated by the user""s finger to roll it back and forth. Typically, it is positioned between or near the buttons on the front of the mouse. Examples of such rollers may be found, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,298,919; 5,313,229; 5,313,230; 5,446,481; 5,473,344; and 5,530,455.
One of the challenges in the design of a mouse which adds a roller and is also cordless is fitting all the components compactly into the mouse. Such components include the ball for the mouse with its associated encoder wheels and circuitry, the roller wheel and its support mechanism, the battery and transmitter circuitry, and the circuit boards. In addition, it is desirable to maintain the ease of moving the mouse around while loaded with the weight and bulk of all these extra components.
The present invention provides a cordless mouse with an upper and lower housing. The lower housing includes a hole for receiving a ball which extends through the hole in the bottom of the mouse. The upper housing is uniquely provided with a cavity for receiving a battery, with a portion of the cavity extending over the ball.
The positioning of the battery cavity at least partially over the ball on top of the mouse serves multiple purposes. First, it allows more room in the lower housing for other components, rather than having two batteries in the compartment in the lower housing as in the typical prior art configuration. In addition, having the weight of the batteries at least partially over the ball ensures that the center of gravity is close to being over the ball of the mouse, providing good contact in the presence of the extra weight of the batteries, ensuring that a good signal is obtained by moving the ball around.
In a preferred embodiment, the cordless mouse contains a roller at the front end adjacent or in-between the buttons at the front of the mouse. The battery compartment is placed at the rear portion of the mouse, extending from the rear portion to over the center above the ball cage of the mouse.
In one embodiment, a top cover for the mouse serves as a cover for the battery compartment. The top cover can be opened by a latch, and is spring-loaded so that upon activation of the latch, the cover comes partially off, making it easy for a user to see how to open the top cover. In a preferred embodiment, the cover extends across the entire top of the mouse and slides backward under spring activation. This preserves the aesthetics of the top of the mouse. The preservation of the aesthetics makes it difficult to see how to open the cover with the latch, which is solved by providing the springs to slide the cover backward and illustrate to the user which direction to pull.
For a further understanding of the nature and advantages of the invention, reference should be made to the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.